The largest faction of Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has chosen Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga as the new party leader, the NHK broadcaster reported on Tuesday.
Among other candidates for the post, there were also the party's policy chief and former Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida, as well as former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The Japanese parliament will hold an emergency meeting on 14 September to decide on the new prime minister following Abe's abrupt resignation, the Kyodo news agency reported earlier, citing sources. Given the LDP's majority in the parliament, its leader is set to become the new prime minister.